Full text of "Compensation in certain occupations of graduates of colleges for women."

See other formats

Part I.

Report por 1894.

Compensation

Certain Occupations

Graduates of Colleges for Women.

[From the Twenty-fifth Annual . Report of the
Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics
of Labor, pp. 1-48.]

HORACE G. WADLIN,

CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF STATISTICS OF LABOR.

BOSTON :

WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS,
18 Post Office Square.

1895.

Part I.

Keport for 1894.

Compensation

Certain Occdpations

Graduates of Colleges for Women.

[From the Twenty-fifth Annual Report of the
Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics
of Labor, pp. 1-48.]

HORACE G. WADLIN,

CHIEF OP THE BUREAU OP STATISTICS OP LABOR.

BOSTON :

WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS,

18 Post Office Square.

1895. - ; " •'

29* • - ■ > > \> o \ ,*

7** '

3 u> EC 1905
D. of D.

CONTENTS.

Page

Introduction, . 3-5

Effect of college training upon the health of women, . . 3

Association of Collegiate Alumnae, . 3

Condition of women in mechanical employments, ... 3

Wages, hours of labor, and general industrial conditions sur¬
rounding women, . 3

Women in the professions, . 3

Economic competition of women with men, .... 3

Wages of women with college training, . 3

Relative position of women to men in similar pursuits, . . 3

Pursuits wherein men and women perform the same work, . 3

Inequalities in compensation of men and women performing

identical work, . 3

Extent of this inequality in professional, technical, and mer¬
cantile pursuits, . 4

Number of returns from employers and emyloyes, ... 4

Consideration of the value of the evidence and opinions, . . 5

Opinions expressed based upon experience, .... 5

Tabular Presentations — Employes , . 4-25

Occupations, residence, and conjugal condition, . . . 4-9

Age classification, . 8

Occupations and means of support, . 10-13

Employment of men in same and different grades of work, . 13-15

Classified monthly salaries by occupations, .... 14-19

Comparative pay of men and women for the same grade of

work, . 18-20

Comparative number aiding in the support of others, . . 21

Number of different employments and average time devoted

to each, . 22

Class and number of different occupations followed, . . 23

Average number of occupations followed, .... 23

Comparative value of work done by women who receive less

pay than men for work of same grade, . . . . 24, 25

Tabular Presentations — Employers , . 25-28

Occupations and number of men and women employed by

employers making returns, . 25-27

Are the services of men and women equally valuable to you? 27

If not equally valuable, why not? . 27,28

Where, in general, women receive less pay than men for the

same grade of work, what are, in your opinion, the reasons ? 28

CONTENTS.

Page

Opinions of Employes, . 28-41

Men oftener than women have to support others, ... 28

Married men paid most, . 28

Business women of education and ability receive as much

salary as men, . 28, 29

Women preferred for accuracy, promptness, general relia¬
bility, and honesty, . 29

Women workers are timid, . 29

Women need the right of suffrage, . 29

Lack of ambition makes machines and drudges, ... 29

Many young women teach simply to obtain pocket money, . 29

Experience of a teacher, . 29

Woman has been taught to look at social and domestic life as

her goal, . 29

From a college professor, . 29. 30

Women can afford to work for less than men, .... 30

From a bookkeeper and teacher, . 30

From a teacher of music, . 30

Women who accept lower wages than men should render less

service, . 30

Every girl should be trained to care for herself, ... 30

Woman deserves same compensation and equal recognition, . 31

From a typewritist, . 31

From an art teacher, . 31

Teaching should be elevated from a makeshift to a profession, 31

From a married teacher, . 31

Lack of women qualified for higher lines of teaching, . 31

Comparisons of salaries of men and women (teachers), . . 31

School teaching the most remunerative employment for

women in general, . 32

Women apt to take up work as a temporary necessity, . . 32

Woman’s work in a private school harder than man’s, . . 32

Women have an advantage as teachers of music and the fine

arts, . 32

Women, as a class, have not as much confidence in themselves

as men, . 32

From an assistant to a college president, . 32

The idea of women entering business and politics distasteful, 33

Women have their own sphere of action, . 33

Women are now just on the verge of freedom, .... 33

More and better work can be obtained from men (in business

offices), . 33

Young girls who live at home accept low wages, . . 33

Typewriting is peculiarly woman’s work, ... 34

Women should attend more strictly to the details of their

business, . 3^

Women are more conscientious and prompt, .... 34

Women often bring personalities into business, ... 34

CONTENTS.

Opinions of Employes — Con. page

Men, as a rule, want women to work for them and not with

them, . 34

College women do just as good work as men, .... 34

From an actress, . 34

Women workers having little special training, . . .34, 35

Working women are increasing the wealth of the country, . 35

Discrimination against women (teachers), .... 35

Willing to compete with men of same grade (teaching), . 35

Women should give their employers to understand that their

services are valuable, . 35

Woman’s lack is not mental capacity but muscular power, . 35, 36

Women should make their work a business not a matter of

convenience, . 36

Some women in the Government service receive higher pay

than men for performing inferior work, .... 36

The period of higher education for women has just begun, . 36

A woman has no right to expect a good salary simply because

she is a woman, . 36

The theory that the only place for a woman is doing domestic

work, . 36

Men do receive higher wages than women for the same work, 37

Women will soon be able to command the same salary as a

man for identical service, . 37

Prefer congenial work even at a lower salary, .... 37

Discrimination against women both in pay and class of work, 37

When woman enters the labor field she becomes a competitor, 37

Physical disadvantages of women, . 37

Women in general are not ambitious for business success, . 37

Women are conscientious and careful in details, ... 38

Teachers (women) are well paid, . 38

From a nurse, . 38

Women receive the same pay as men in railroad telegraphy, 38

When women settle down to a life-work wages are more

nearly equalized, . 38

When a woman becomes as necessary as a man to an employer

she receives the same salary, ...... 38

Custom places a lower estimate of value on the work of a

woman, . 38

Women should demand what they are worth, .... 38

It is doubtless the first destiny of women to marry, ... 38

If woman is underpaid it is largely her own fault, ... 39

Conditions are more nearly equal in the professions, . . 39

From a journalist . 39

Permanency in a position of great value to an employer, . 39

Woman frequently gives up her occupation just as she has be¬
come most efficient, . 39

Not probable that man and woman will ever stand as equals

in the business world, . 39

CONTENTS.

Opinions of Employes — Con. page

Woman, in most instances, cannot count on life work, . 39

The instability of employment (as regards women) will

always exist, . 39

Highly educated women are not competing with educated

men ; the competition comes from uneducated women, . 39, 40

A woman equipped with a college education entirely equal to

the man with the same advantages, . 40

Many women (at work) demand privileges as rights, . . 40

Women, as a rule, are to blame for women’s low wages, . 40

Men get double the pay for same work, . 40

Women are patient in their willingness to earn something;

women lack nerve to demand what they are worth, . . 40, 41

Opinions of Employees, .

Services of women preferred in clerical labor, .

Women are neater, quicker, more industrious, more loyal,

more trustworthy than men, .

Cataloguing (library work) done by women as well as by men,
Reasons why salaries of men and women are not equalized, .
When work is done by a woman equally as well in all respects
as by a man, she should be equally well paid for doing it,
The employment of women tends to lower the wages of men,
I would pay a girl the same wages for doing the same work

as a man, . . .

From a printer, .

From a college instructor, .

The same work should, in justice, receive the same pay,
Earlier marriages would make fewer young women who must

work at low rates, .

Our notion of a home involves too much money to promote

early marriages, . .

There are very few women that are as competent as the best

men in telegraphy, .

Women workers generally require a greater amount of super¬
vision, .

Women who take up clerical work in late youth or at middle
age render, usually, the least valuable services,

Women physically at a disadvantage, ....

We have no women who can justly be called first class opera¬
tors (telegraphy), .

The nervous strain of telegraphy too great for women,

The fact that women look forward to an early marriage a
retarding factor in their competition with men,

Women do not continue efforts towards improvement,

Women should unite and not under-cut each other or their
fellow craftsmen (printing), ....

Woman is rapidly taking a prominent place in the business
world, .

41-47

42
42
42

42, 43
43

CONTENTS. vii

Opinions of Employers — Con. Page

Heredity has much to do with the wage question, ... 43

Women are newer comers (in industry) than men, ... 43

Women, at present, lack breadth of mind to successfully

manage complicated industries, . 43

From an architect, . 43

Elements in the salary question, . 43

There are some women superior to the majority of men, . . 43

Women receive the best pay in their own lines of usefulness, 43, 44
Whatever improves a woman in home or domestic relations is

best for her and best for the community, .... 44

Occupations which the majority of women shun for the sake

of a chance to work in a shop or factory, .... 44

Cooks wanted who will take pains or pride in their work, . 42

The great demand for domestic servants, . 44

Women admirably well fitted for certain lines of professional

life, . 44

We regret that the present tendencies of living require women

to take an active part in office, factory, and mill work, . 44

We are sufficiently old fashioned to consider certain industries

particularly men’s work, . 44

Women as well qualified for clerical work as men, ... 44

Factors which modify the quality and quantity of woman’s

work, . 45

Women are honest and faithful, . 45

Lack of education, personal cleanliness, inability to do brain
work, inattention, and want of thrift shown by women em¬
ployed in clothing industry, . 45

Men are trained with a view of adopting business as a means

of livelihood, . 45

Women have no particular ambition to excel in business, , 45

Physical reasons render woman’s service less valuable to em¬
ployers, . 45

Employers do not feel free to require extra service (involving

extra hours) from women, . 46

From an orchestra leader, . 46

I urge the entire equality of the sexes in education, and entire

freedom for women to enter all branches of industry, 46

From a printer (employer) , . 46

From a Government officer (post office), . 46

Women of the “ middle class” who accept positions with low

pay crowd the men and needy women out, ... 46

Comparison of services rendered by men and women (insur¬
ance company), . 46, 47

From a Government officer; salaries of men fixed by statute,
but all of the women classed as “ extra clerks ” with sala¬
ries fixed by Commissioner, . 47

From a member of a School Board, . 47

NOTE.

Since the matter contained in Part I was put into stereotyped plates, it
has appeared that the title is somewhat misleading. Its phraseology is due
to a misunderstanding on the part of the Bureau as to the limit placed upon
the investigation carried on by the Association of Collegiate Alumnss. It
seems to imply that the statistics contained in the Part relate only to grad¬
uates ot colleges for women ; this is not the case. The statistics were de¬
rived from an Association composed of such graduates, but their inquiries
were not restricted in all cases to the Alumnas, and were intended to cover,
as stated on page 4, definite knowledge as to the extent of the inequality of
women’s work and wages in callings which require a certain amount of
training for their successful pursuit The validity of the information is not,
of course, entirely dependent on the title, but it should be understood that
not all of those whose answers are included in the tabular statements, or
whose opinions are quoted, are college graduates. In view of this expla¬
nation also, it should be said that some of the statements made by employ¬
ers are not to be held as restricted to college graduates, but as of general
application. This may be inferred from the text, but is now especially
pointed out to guard against any possible misconception. The experience
of college women, and their opinions with respect to the matter under con¬
sideration form the basis of the investigation, and their Association afforded
an efficient agency for making the inquiry ; but the group of women workers
whose replies are tabulated includes those in employments which for the
most part require training, but not, in all cases, college training. In other
words, the subject of the compensation in certain occupations of graduates
of colleges for women is included within the material used in the Part ;
but it is not restricted entirely to such women, and the title might more
properly read “ The compensation in certain occujmtions of women who
have received college or other special training ” For reasons which this
note makes obvious, the word “ college-bred,” in the ninth line from the
bottom, on page 12, should be omitted.

Compensation in Certain Occupations

Graduates of Colleges for Women.

This Bureau in its 16th annual report, published in 1885,
presented the results of an inquiry, conducted by the Associa¬
tion of Collegiate Alumnue, as to the effect of college training
upon the health of women. This Association, whose member¬
ship is confined to graduates of colleges for women, has always
manifested a keen interest in the welfare of those who have had
the advantage of the higher training afforded by such institu¬
tions. This Bureau has frequently investigated the condition
of women in mechanical employments, and our reports have
presented full data as to the wages paid them, their hours of
labor, and the general industrial conditions surrounding them.
Not only have women entered such industries, but they are
rapidly making their presence felt in the professions, and
here, as in the factory and workshop, are coming iqto direct
economic competition with men. The present Part is based
upon an investigation conducted by a committee of the Alumnae
for the purpose of obtaining data respecting the wages of
women who have had the benefit of college training, and as to
their position relatively to men who are their competitors in
similar pursuits, and especially in pursuits wherein both men
and women perform substantially the same work.

The woman in industry who finds herself employed in the
occupations which are open to men, and who very frequently
performs identical work for a salary or for wages much below
those paid her co-workers of the opposite sex, is naturally apt to
inquire what reason, economic or other, justifies this inequality.

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

That the inequality exists is well known. To obtain, if
possible, some definite knowledge as to its extent in callings
which require a certain amount of training for their successful
pursuit, and to secure some information as to its causes from
women workers who were supposed to be not only vitally
interested in the subject, but especially qualified, both by
education and experience, to express an opinion, such mem¬
bers of the Association of Collegiate Alumnse as were engaged
in pursuits chiefly professional, technical, and mercantile, were
invited, by its committee, to contribute facts and opinions
based upon their experience.

The investigation was conducted without bias, and in order
that not only the woman employe, but the employer of women
might be represented, a similar invitation was extended to
representative employers. The schedules which were returned
to the Association have been placed at the disposal of this
Bureau, and we are glad to co-operate with the Association, in
presenting the results of the inquiry, inasmuch as the impor¬
tance of the question renders all evidence upon it, no matter
how incomplete, of considerable interest. While the returns
secured by the committee were not numerous, they were
nevertheless fairly representative, covering a considerable
range of employment, and not confined to a single section of
the country.

The number of schedules for employes which were returned
is 451 ; the number of employers’ schedules being 104. As
regards the residence of the respondents, by States, 59 were
from Massachusetts, 55 from Minnesota, 44 from Connecti¬
cut, 40 from Rhode Island, 61 from California, 90 from New
York, 39 from Indiana, 14 from Illinois, and the remainder (153)
from other States of the Union. Of the information supplied,

Table I. — Occupations , Residence , and Conjugal Condition.

Occupations.

At Home

Single

Married

Widowed

Totals

Actresses .

Agents (advertising), .

Agents (charity organizations) .

Amanuenses, .

Artists, .

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 5

that given by the employes is by far the most complete. This
information as a whole, however, is only slightly statistical,
being principally confined to statements or opinions bearing on
the subject discussed. While it is to be regretted that all of
the interrogatories contained in the schedules were not replied
to, and while the omissions detract from the statistical fullness
that would otherwise have been attained, the results are never¬
theless not without value, for as these opinions are based
upon experience rather than theory, they may be considered as
valid evidence, and a comparison of the statements made by
employes with those made by employers will bring out the
different phases of the subject from opposite stand-points.
The opinions are, therefore, presented in extenso, the exact
language of the respondents being preserved, with only such
slight changes as were required to bring out the exact meaning,
and with such omissions of irrelevant matter as were necessary
to bring the statements within concise limits. No analysis of
the remarks has been made, nor is any needed, as the state¬
ments themselves are sufficiently clear, and accurately reflect
the opinions of those who have responded to the inquiries.

Before entering upon the textual presentation, however, we
present a series of tables embodying such statistics as were con¬
tained in the schedules. In general, these tables include the tabu¬
lated results obtained from those schedules only which contained
information upon the points to which the tables relate. Thus,
although 451 employes’ schedules were received, 14 of these
contained nothing relating to residence or conjugal condition.
The aggregate number of persons represented upon those points
is, therefore, 437. In Table I., which follows, the respondents
are classified as to occupations, with special reference to con¬
jugal condition, and as to whether residing at home or elsewhere :

Table I. — Occupations , Residence , and Conjugal Condition.

Elsewhere

Aggregates

Single

Married

Widowed

Totals

Single

Married

Widowed

Totals

6 STATISTICS OF LABOK. [Pub. Doc.

Table I. — Occupations, Residence, and Conjugal Condition — Continued.

Occupations.

Single

At I

Married

lOME

Widowed

Totals

Assistants (composing room) .

Assistants (National Herbarium),

Assistants (Woman’s Exchange),

Assistant curators (National Herbarium), .

Assistants (observatory) .

Assistants (marking pronunciation dictionary),

Assistant physicians, .

Assistants (postmaster), .

Assistant registrars of employment bureaus,

Assistant secretaries, .

Astronomers, .

Astronomical computors and measurers, . .

Bookkeepers, .

Bookkeepers and cashiers, .

Bookkeepers and collectors, .

Bookkeepers and registrars, .

Car recorders (coal and iron office),

Cashiers, .

Clerks, .........

Clerks (record), .

Clerks (superintendent of schools),

Clerks (school department) .

Compositors .

Compositors and proof readers, ....

Copy preparers, .

Draughtswomen, .

Employed in Bureau of Charities,

Examiners (bonds and mortgages),

Forewomen (editorial department),

Housewives (also literary work) .

Insurance brokers .

Journalists, editors, reporters, etc.,

Librarians and all kinds of library work, .

Managers, .

Managers (collection department),

Managers (telegraph), .

Notaries public and stenotypists, .

Nurses and superintendents of nursing,

Proof readers, .

Proof readers, stenographers, and typewriters, .

Registrars, .

Sales clerks, .

Searchers of records, . . . .

Secretaries, .

Solicitors (life insurance), .

Stenographers, .

Stenographers and bookkeepers, ....

Stenographers and office work, ....

Stenographers and secretaries, ....

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 7

Table I. — Occupations , Residence , and Conjugal Condition — Continued.

Elsewhere

Aggregates

Single

Married

Widowed

Totals

Single

Married

Widowed

Totals

•

•f

•

—

•

—

8 STATISTICS OF LABOR. [Pub. Doc.

Table I. — Occupations , Residence, and Conjugal Condition — Concluded.

At Home

Occupations.

Single

Married

Widowed

Totals

Stenographers and typewriters, ....

Stenography, teaching, and literary and news-

paper work, .

Teachers (all kinds), .

Telegraph operators, .

Telephone operators, .

Type setters .

Typewriters, .

Verifiers, .

Writers of advertisements .

Writing advertisements and business letters,

Writing and revising patents, ....

Water analysts, .

Not given .

Totals, . .

209

244

This table requires no special explanation, it being plainly
shown that the persons making returns were, single, 389 ;
married, 28 ; and widowed, 20. The largest number of respon¬
dents in any single employment are teachers, who number in the
aggregate 169. Next to these, librarians and persons engaged
in library work are the most numerous, being 47 in number,
followed by stenographers, who number 28, and nurses and
superintendents of nursing, who number 22. The journalists,
editors, reporters, etc., number 19, and 19 clerks, without
specification as to the particular kind of clerical service, are
also included. The other respondents are distributed among
the various occupations given in the table.

Table II. presents the ages of the respondents classified by
periods of years.

Table II. — Age Classification.

Age Periods.

Number

Age Periods.

Number

Under 20 years, ....

60 but under 70 years, .

•

20 but under 25 years, .

70 but under 80 years, .

25 but under 30 years, .

119

80 years and over,

30 but under 40 years, .

111

Age not given, .

•

♦

40 but under 50 years, .

50 but under 60 years, .

Totals, .

•

451

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 9

Table I. — Occupations, Residence, and Conjugal Condition — Concluded.

Elsewhere

Aggregates

Single

Married

Widowed

Totals

Single

Married

Widowed

Totals

101

153

169

180

193

389

437

The largest number of persons in any age period is 119,
found in the period of 25 but under 30 years, while 111
were 30 years of age but under 40 years. Altogether, of
the 451 persons making returns, 13 were under 20 years
of age, 83 were 20 but under 25, 119 were 25 but under 30,
111 were 30 but under 40, 47 were over 40 years of age, while
for 78 the ages were not given.

The persons making returns were asked to state whether
they had any remunerative occupation outside of their principal
work, and whether they were occupied by domestic or other
outside cares. They were also asked whether the wages
derived from their occupation as stated was sufficient to supply
their entire support. The replies to these questions, so far as
received, are shown in Table III., which follows :

STATISTICS OF LABOR

[Pub. Doc

8
9

15
10

20
21
22

Table III. — Occupations and Means of Support.

Have tod any Remunerative Occupa¬
tion BESIDE YOUR MAIN WORK ?

Occupations.

Yes

Not

Answerec

Totals

Actresses, .

Agents (advertising), ...

• • •

Agents (charity organizations), .

• • •

Amanuenses .

Artists .

Assistants (composing room),

• • •

Assistants (National Herbarium),

Assistants (Woman’s Exchange),

Assistant curators (National Herbarium), .

Assistants (observatory), . .

. . .

Assistants (marking pronunciation dictionary),

Assistant physicians,

Assistants (postmaster),

Assistant registrars of employment bureaus, .

‘ 1

Assistant secretaries,

• • •

Astronomers, .

Astronomical computors and measurers, . .

• -

Bookkeepers, .

Bookkeepers and cashiers, .

♦ • •

Bookkeepers and collectors, .

• • •

Bookkeepers and registrars, .

Car recorders (coal and iron office),

• • •

Cashiers .

Clerks .

• • •

18-

Clerks (record) .

• • •

Clerks (school department), .

• • •

Clerks (superintendent of schools),

• • •

Compositors .

—

Compositors and proof readers, .

Copy preparers, ....

• • 0

Correspondence clerks and stenographers, .

•

Draughtswomen .

•

Employed in Bureau of Charities,

• • •

Examiners (bonds and mortgages),

Forewomen (editorial department),

Housewives (also literary work),

•

Insurance brokers, ....

Journalists, editors, reporters, etc.,

Librarians and all kinds of library work, .

Managers, .

• • •

Managers (collection department),

• • •

Managers (telegraph), .

• • •

Notaries public and stenotypists,

• • •

—

Nurses and superintendents of nursing,

•

Proof readers, ....

Proof readers, stenographers, and typewriters, .

Registrars, .

Sales clerks,

Searchers of records, .

• • •

Secretaries .

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 11

Table III. — Occupations and Means of Support.

Are yod Occupied with Domestic or
other Outside Cares ?

Do your Wages Supply your entire
Support ?

Yes

Not

Answered

Totals

Yes

Not

Answered

Totals

—

- 1

•

—

•

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

Table III. — Occupations and Means of Support — Concluded.

Have you any Remunerative Occupa¬
tion BESIDE YOUR MAIN WORK ?

Occupations.

Yes

Not

Answered

Totals

Solicitors (life insurance), .

Stenographers .

Stenographers and bookkeepers .

Stenographers and office work .

Stenographers and secretaries .

Stenographers and typewriters, .

Stenography, teaching, and literary and news¬
paper work, .

—

Teachers (all kinds) .

127

173

Telegraph operators .

Telephone operators .

Type setters .

Typewriters .

Verifiers . * .

Water analysts .

Writers of advertisements, .

Writing advertisements and business letters,

Writing and revising patents .

Not given, .

Totals .

338

451

Referring only to the line of totals in the foregoing table, it
will be seen that 338 of the total number had some remunera¬
tive occupation besides their main work, while 74 had no other
remunerative occupation. The question was not answered in
39 instances. Out of the whole number, 117 report that they
were occupied by domestic or other outside cares, while 289
were not so occupied, 45 leaving the question unanswered.
Of the whole number, 350, or 77.61 per cent, report that the
wages were sufficient for their support. In 43 cases the wages
were insufficient, while 58 left the question unanswered. Here
then it is found that in a representative group of college-bred
women, largely self-supporting and engaged in callings for
which, in general, some special training is required, 74.94 per
cent rely on remunerative occupations other than their principal
employment, and that 25.94 per cent are occupied with domestic
cares besides their main work. In both these points the bur¬
den of the woman is possibly greater than that of the man in
similar occupations, or at least there appears to be a greater
div ei sification of industrial force among these women than

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 13

Table III. — Occupations and Means of Support — Concluded.

Are you Occupied with Domestic or
other Outside Cares ?

Do your Wages Supply your
Support ?

ENTIRE

Yes

Not

Answered

Totals

Yes

Not

Answered

Totals

«.

113

173

’ 144

173

1 N

117

289

451

350

451

would be usually found in a corresponding group of men
engaged in the same pursuits.

Table IV. contains the replies, classified by occupations, to
the following question : Are men employed , either at your place
of occupation or elsewhere , to do substantially the same grade
of work that you are doing ?

Table IV. — Employment of Men in Same and Different Grades of

Work.

Occupations.

Same
Grade of
Work

Different
Grade
of Work

Not

Stated

Totals

Actresses, .

Agents (advertising), .

Agents (charity organizations), .

Amanuenses, .

Artists, .

Assistants (composing room), . . .

Assistants (National Herbarium),

Assistants (Woman’s Exchange),

Assistant curators (National Herbarium), .

“ t

Assistants (observatory), ....

14 STATISTICS OF LABOK. [Pub. Doc.

Table IV. — Employment of Men in Same and Different Grades of

Work — Continued.

Occupations.

Same
Grade of
Work

Different
Grade
of Work

Not

Stated

Totals

Assistants (marking pronunciation dictionary),

Assistant physicians, .

Assistants (postmaster), .

Assistant registrars of employment bureaus, .

Assistant secretaries .

Astronomers, .

Astronomical computors and measurers, .

Bookkeepers, .

Bookkeepers and cashiers, .

Bookkeepers and collectors, .

Bookkeepers and registrars, .

Car recorders (coal and iron offices), . . .

Cashiers, .

Clerks, .

Clerks (record), .

Clerks (school department), .....

Clerks (superintendents of schools) .

Compositors .

Compositors and proof readers, .

Copy preparers .

Correspondence clerks and stenographers,

Draughtswomen, . . .

—

Employed in Bureau of Charities .

Examiners (bonds and mortgages), ....

Forewomen (editorial department), ....

Housewives (also literary work), ....

Insurance brokers, .

Journalists, editors, reporters, etc., ....

Librarians and all kinds of library work, .

Managers, .

Managers (collection department) .

Managers (telegraph) .

—

Notaries public and stenotypists, ....

Nurses and superintendents of nursing,

Proof readers .

Proof readers, stenographers, and typewriters, ,

Table V. — Classified Monthly Salaries by Occupations.

Occupations.

Classified Monthly
Salaries

Under

§25

#25

but under

#50

Actresses, .

Agents (advertising), .

Agents (charity organizations), ....

Amanuenses, .

Artists, .

' - - - - —

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 15

Table IV . — Employment of Men in Same and Different Grades of

Work — Concluded.

Occupations.

Same
Grade of
Work

Different
Grade of
Work

Not

Stated

Totals

Registrars, .

Sales clerks, ......

—

Searchers of records, ....

Secretaries, .

Solicitors (life insurance), .

Stenographers, .

Stenographers and bookkeepers, .

Stenographers and office work, .

Stenographers and secretaries, .

Stenographers and typewriters, .
Stenography, teaching, and literary and

newspaper

work, .......

Teachers (all kinds), ....

121

173

Telegraph operators, ....

Telephone operators .

Type setters, .

Typewriters, .

Verifiers, .

Water analysts, .

Writers of advertisements, .

Writing advertisements and business letters,

Writing and revising patents, . .

Not given, ......

Totals, .

281

118

451

By scanning the totals of this table, it will be seen that, while
52 left the question unanswered, 281 report that men are em¬
ployed upon the same kind of work, and 118 report that their
work differs from that of men.

Table V. presents classified monthly salaries for the persons
making returns in the different occupations.

Table V. — Classified Monthly Salaries by Occupation.

Classified Monthly Salaries

$50

but under

$7 3

$75

but under

$100

but under

$200

but under

$300

and over

Not

Stated

Totals

•

—

STATISTICS OF LABOE. [Pub. Doc.

Table V. — Classified Monthly Salaries by Occupations — Continued.

Occupations.

Classified Monthly
Salaries

Under

$25

but under

$50

Assistants (composing room), .

Assistants (National Herbarium), .
Assistants (Woman’s Exchange),

Assistant curators (National Herbarium),
Assistants (observatory), ....
Assistants (marking pronunciation dictionary)

Assistant physicians, .

Assistants (postmaster) .

Assistant registrars of employment bureaus,

Assistant secretaries, .

Astronomers, .

Astronomical computors and measurers, .

Bookkeepers, .

Bookkeepers and cashiers,

Bookkeepers and collectors,

Bookkeepers and registrars,

Car recorders (coal and iron offices), .

Cashiers, .

Clerks .

Clerks (record), .

Clerks (school department), . .

Clerks (superintendents of schools),

Compositors, .

Compositors and proof readers,

Copy preparers .

Correspondence clerks and stenographers,

Draughtswomen, .

Employed in Bureau of Charities, .
Examiners (bonds and mortgages), .
Forewomen (editorial department), .
Housewives (also literary work), . .

Insurance brokers, .

Journalists, editors, reporters, etc., .

Librarians and all kinds of library work,
Managers, .......

Managers (collection department), .

Managers (telegraph) .

Notaries public and stenotyplsts,

Nurses and superintendents of nursing, .

Proof readers .

Proof readers, stenographers, and typewriters

Registrars, .

Sales clerks .

Searchers of records .

Secretaries, .

Solicitors (life insurance), . . . .

Stenographers, .

Stenographers and bookkeepers, . .
Stenographers and office work, . . ,

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 17

Table Y. — Classified Monthly Salaries by Occupations — Continued.

Classified Monthly Salaries

$50

but under

$75

but under

$100

but under

$200

but under

$300

and over

Not

Stated

Totals

—

•-

—

«.

—

*■

18 STATISTICS OF LABOK. [Pub. Doc.

Table V. — Classified Monthly Salaries by Occupations — Concluded.

Occupations.

Classified Monthly
Salaries

TT A 1 £25

tinder . . .

but under

».><)

Stenographers and secretaries, .

Stenographers and typewriters, .

Stenography, teaching, and literary and newspaper work, .

Teachers (all kinds), .

Telegraph operators, .

Telephone operators, . .

Water analysts, .

“

Writers of advertisements .

Writing advertisements and business letters, .

Writing and revising patents, .

Not given, .

Totals, . . .

Of the whole number, six were paid less than $25 per month ;
88, $25 but under $50 ; 144, the largest number found in any
wage class, $50 but under $75; 88, $75 but under $100 ; 73,
$100 but under $200; two, $200 but under $300, while two
were paid a salary in excess of $300 per month ; 48 did not
answer.

The statistical tables we have so far presented are valuable,
apart from the information they contain, as indicating the

Table VI. — Comparative Pay of Men and Women for the Same Grade

of Work.

Occupations.

Pay

Same

Pay

Less

Pay

Not

Stated

Totals

Actresses, .

Agents (advertising), .

Agents (charity organizations), ....

Amanuenses, .

Artists, .

Assistants (composing room), .

•

Assistants (National Herbarium), ....

Assistants (Woman’s Exchange) .

Assistant curators (National Herbarium),

Assistants (observatory) .

Assistants (marking pronunciation dictionary) , .

•

Assistant physicians, .

•

Assistants (postmaster), ......

Assistant registrars of employment bureaus, .

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 19

Table V. — Classified Monthly Salaries by Occupations — Concluded.

Classified Monthly Salaries

$50

but under

$75

but under

$ioo

$100

but under

$200

but under

$300

and over

Not

Stated

Totals

•

173

V 1

144

451

range of occupations covered by the returns, and as establish¬
ing the representative character of the persons making replies.
The tables which follow bear upon the merits of the particular
subject involved in the investigation. The first, Table VI. of
the series, contains a statistical statement of the replies received
to the following schedule question : If men are not paid the
same wage that you receive (for the same grade of work) how
does their pay differ from yours?

Table YI. — Comparative Pay of Men and Women for the Same Grade

of Work — Continued.

Occupations.

Pay

Same

Pay

Less

Pay

Not

Stated

Totals

Assistant secretaries, .

Astronomers .

Astronomical computors and measurers, .

Bookkeepers . .

Bookkeepers and cashiers, .

Bookkeepers and collectors, .

Bookkeepers and registrars, .

Car recorders (coal and iron offices), . . .

Cashiers .

Clerks, .

Clerks (record), .

Clerks (school department), *

Clerks (superintendents of schools),

Compositors, .

20 STATISTICS OF LABOR. [Pub. Doc.

Table VI. — Comparative Pay of Men and Women for the Same Grade

of Work — Concluded.

Occupations.

Bay

Same

Fay

Less

Pay

Not

Stated

Totals

Compositors and proof readers,

•

Copy preparers, .

Correspondence clerks and stenographers,

Draughtswomen, .

—

Employed in Bureau of Charities, .

—

Examiners (bonds and mortgages), .

Forewomen (editorial department), '

Housewives (also literary work), .

—

Insurance brokers .

Journalists, editors, reporters, etc.,

Librarians and all kinds of library work.

Managers, .

Managers (collection department), .

Managers (telegraph), ....

Notaries public and stenotypists,

Nurses and superintendents of nursing, .

Proof readers, .

Proof readers, stenographers, and typewriters.

Registrars, .

Sales clerk, .

Searchers of records, .

Secretaries, .

Solicitors (life insurance),

Stenographers .

Stenographers and bookkeepers,

Stenographers and office work,

Stenographers and secretaries,

Stenographers and typewriters, ....

Stenography, teaching, and literary and newspaper

work, .

1 ‘

Teachers (all kinds), ....

*71

173

Telegraph operators, .

Telephone operators, ....

Type setters, .

Typewriters, .

Verifiers, .

Water analysts, .

Writers of advertisements,

Writing advertisements and business letters

Writing and revising patents, .

Not given, .

Totals, .

150

201

451

* Includes two where no men are employed.

As before, we refer simply to the line of totals, as the infor¬
mation in detail can be readily grasped from the table. Out
of the whole number, 150 report that men receive more pay
than women, 95 report the same pay for men and women,

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 21

while five report that men receive less pay than women. These
five instances include an employe in a Bureau of Charities,
one in the class “journalists, editors, reporters, etc.,” one is a
proof reader, and two are teachers. This question was a most
important one, and it is to be regretted that 201 of the respon¬
dents failed to reply to it.

It is frequently alleged as one of the reasons for paying
women less than men in similar employments that a man is
called upon to support others besides himself, while, as a rule,
women in industry do not aid in the support of others. In
order to obtain some information on this point, the schedules
contained the following question : Do you support or help to
support others besides yourself ? The replies, so far as received,
are presented in Table YII.

Table YII. — Comparative Number Aiding in the Support of Others.

Occupations.

Aid in
Support of
Others

Do Not
Aid in Sup¬
port

of Others

Totals

Artists, .

Bookkeepers, .

Clerks, .

Compositors, .

Government service .

Journalists, editors, reporters, etc . . . .

Librarians and library work, .

Stenographers, . .

Stenographers and bookkeepers, .

139

Telegraph operators, .

Totals, .

157

222

379

Referring to the line of totals in this table, it will be seen
that, of the total number of 379 persons who replied, 157, or
41.42 per cent, contribute to the support of others, while 222,
or 58.58 per cent, do not. Of the teachers, 52, or 37.41 per
cent, of the total number of teachers who made replies, aid in
the support of others. This is the most numerous class repre¬
sented in the table. Of the persons employed in miscellaneous

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

occupations, not classified by name, 20 aid in the support of
others, while 21 do not. In general, the replies indicate that
it is by no means true that women workers are not called upon
to support others besides themselves, but that a considerable
number aid in the support of relatives and families to which
they belong.

It has also been alleged that the woman wTorker does not
remain continuously in the same employment, but is apt to
change her vocation, and, therefore, does not acquire the same
degree of proficiency attained by men, who, in general, retain
through life the occupation that is chosen at first. Without
entering into the question whether or not it is true that men,
as a rule, do remain continuously in the same employment, the
following table, Table VIII. of the series, presents the replies
received to a schedule question intended to bring out the num¬
ber of kinds of employment followed by the respondents, from
the time when they first began to earn wages, and the average
number of years and months spent in each employment.

Table VIII. — Number of Different Employments and Average Time De¬
voted to Each.

Number

of Persons.

Number of
Different Em¬
ployments
since beginning
Work

Average Number
of Years and
Months in each
Employment

Number

of Persons.

Number of
Different Em¬
ployments
since beginning
Work

Average Nnmber
of Years and
Months in each
Employment

214, .

7 years, 8 mos.

9, .

3 years, 5 mos.

88, .

5 years, 4 mos.

2, .

3 years.

19, . . .

4 years, 8 mos.

1, . . .

7 months.

The total number of replies received to this question was 333.
Of these, 214, a very large proportion, have followed but one
sort of employment since beginning work, the average num¬
ber of years and months engaged being 7 years, 8 months ;
88 others have had two kinds of employment, the average
number of years and months in each being 5 years, 4 months ;
while 19 others have had three employments, the average num¬
ber of years and months in each being 4 years, 8 months. Of
the others, 9 have had four different kinds of employment,
occupying an average period of 3 years, 5 months each ; two
have had five different employments, the average number of
years in each being three ; while one has had eight kinds of

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 23

employment, spending an average period of 7 months in each.
So far, then, as these replies are indicative, they show that for
the larger portion of respondents, employment has been contin¬
uous in the pursuit originally selected.

It may be interesting, in this connection, to note that the
same tact was brought out in a much wider investigation, con¬
ducted by the Bureau in 1884,* wherein it was shown that
continuous employment in a given occupation was the rule
rather than the exception among women engaged in occupa¬
tions somewrhat different from those canvassed in the present
Part. The investigation referred to included returns from
1,032 working women in the City of Boston, the permanency
of occupation of these women receiving illustration and proof
from the following statements, reproduced in tabular form from
Part I. of the report of the Bureau for 1884 :

Table IX. — Class and Number of Different Occupations Followed.

Number of Different Occupations.

Personal

Service

Trade

Man¬

ufactures

All Occupa¬
tions

One .

426

523

Two, .

257

322

Three, .

118

Four, .

Five, .

Six, .

Seven, .

Eight .

Nine .

Totals, .

123

826

1,032

Table X. — Average Number of Occupations Followed.

Occupations.

Number
of Working
Girls

Whole Num¬
ber of

Occupations

Followed

Average Num-
• ber of

Occupations
Followed

Personal service, .

177

2.13

123

209

1.70

Manufactures .

826

1,458

1.76

Totals, .

1,032

1,844

1.78

It will be seen from the tables that the 1,032 young women
followed on an average but 1.78 occupations each; but 6.69 per

* See “ Tlie Working Girls of Boston,” Fifteenth Annual Report of the Bureau, 1S84.

24 STATISTICS OF LABOR. [Pub. Doc.

cent of them had been in more than three occupations, while
50.68 per cent had been in but one occupation.

Table XI. presents a tabulation of the replies to the following
question : “ When women receive less than men for ivork of the
same grade , is their work , in your opinion , less valuable to the
employer ?”

Table XI. — Comparative Value of Work Done by Women who receive Less
Pay than Men for Work of Same Grade.

Occupations.

Valuable

Less

Valuable

Equally

Valuable

Qualified

and

Indefinite

Replies

Totals

Artists, .

Bookkeepers, .....

Clerks, .

Compositors, .

Government service, ....

Journalists, editors, reporters, etc., .

Librarians and library work, , . .

Nurses, .

Post office service, ....

Proof readers, .

Stenographers, .

Stenographers and bookkeepers,

Stenographers and typewriters, .

Teachers, .

134

Telegraph operators, ....

Telephone operators, ....

Typewriters, .

Miscellaneous occupations, .

Totals, .

212

332

It will be seen from the line of totals in this table that 332
replies were received to this question. Of these, 212, the
largest number, indicate that the services of men and women,
when on the same grade of work, are equally valuable. Of
the others, 41 considered the work of women more valuable,
while 31 replied that they deemed it less valuable. Besides
these direct replies, there were 48 replies received which were
so qualified and indefinite as to be of no value in the tabulation.
Of course, the replies as to whether the work of women is
more or less valuable than that of men bear direct relation to
the occupation, and the table presents the replies classified by
occupations. Some of the qualified replies indicate that the
work upon which the reply was based was not of exactly the
same kind. For instance, the work of a teacher in the particu-

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 25

lar branch in which she was engaged, might be considered
more valuable for that particular branch than the work of a
man would be ; while, on the other hand, the work of a man,
upon the particular work to which he devoted his attention,
would be more valuable than that of a woman on the same
work. The question is, of course, a difficult one to answer
directly without qualification.

The next presentation, Table XII. of the series, relates en¬
tirely to the employers who returned replies and indicates the
range of employments represented by them. The table indi¬
cates the occupations followed and the number of males and
females employed by the employers making returns upon the
subject under investigation.

Table XII. — Occupations and Number of Men and Women Employed by
Employers Making Returns.

Occupations.

Males

Females

Both Sexes

Agents, . .

1,015

Apprentices, .

Assistant botanists .

Assistant librarians .

Assistant superintendents (shoe stitching room), .

Assistant teachers .

Attorneys, .

Bevelers, .

Binders .

Bookkeepers .

Bottlers and wrappers .

Calculation clerks, .

Canvassers .

Carriers, .

149

- '

149

Cashiers . .

Cataloguers, .

Chambermaids .

572

1,760

Collectors, .

Compositors .

425

208

633

Correspondents, .

Delivery clerks (library), .

Draughtsmen, .

Editors, .

STATISTICS OF LABOR

[Pub. Doc.

Table XII. — Occupations ancl Number of Men and Women Employed by
Employers Making Returns — Concluded.

Occupations.

Males

Females

Both Sexes

Employes (medicine factory), .

Employes (newspaper office), .

Employes (library), .

Engineers, .

Field laborers, ....

Folders (newspapers),

Foremen, .

Foundry employes (printiqg), .

Gymnasium attendants,

Headers, .

Helpers, .

Housekeepers .

Instructors .

164

Inspectors, .

Janitors, engineers, etc., .

105

Laborers, .

Laundresses, ....

Librarians .

Loan department (library),

Mailing department (newspaper),

Matrons, .

•

Messengers, .

Milliners .

Musicians, .

Nurses, .

Office clerks, ....

Officers (bank), ....

Packers .

Pressmen, .

111

Printers .

326

337

Printers’ assistants, . .

344

Proof readers, ....

Reporters .

Salesmen, ....

Salesmen, bundle clerks, and errand boys

210

111

321

Sewers and dressmakers, . .

Shipping clerks, ....

Skilled clerks, ....

Special agents, . .

CO 1

Special writers, .

Stenographers,

Stereotypers,

Stitchers (shoe), .

Teachers .

290

979

1,269

Telegraph operators, .

215

273

Tellers and assistants,

Travelers, ...
Typewriters,

Miscellaneous occupations,

Totals,

144

•

4,697

3,097

7,794

No.15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 27

The total number of returns received from employers was
104, as has been stated. It may be added that of these, 25
were from Massachusetts, 15 from Rhode Island, 25 from
California, 14 from New York, and the remainder from other
States. The range of occupation of those employed may be
seen in detail from the table. In the establishments in the
aggregate, 7,794 persons were employed, of whom 4,697 were
males and 3,097 females.

The employers were asked the following question : Are the
services of men and women equally valuable to you ? A tabular
statement of the replies received to this question follows :

Table XIII. — Are the Services of Men and Women Equally Valuable

to You ?

Classification of Replies.

Number

Classification of Replies.

Number

Yes, .

On some work, yes; on other

No .

Indefinite .

work, no, .

Totals, .

It will be seen that 90 employers replied to the question.
Of these, 46 replied directly, “Yes”; 29 others replied as
directly “No.” Indefinite answers were received from seven,
while eight replied “ on some work, yes ; on other work, no.”

The employers were also asked to state their reasons for
considering the services of women of less value in case they so
replied. It will be seen from the previous table that 29 em¬
ployers place a less value upon the services of women than
upon those of men. The reasons given by them appear in the
following table :

Table XIV. — If not Equally Valuable , why not ?

Classification of Replies.

Number

Classification of Replies.

Number

On account of physical or mental

Consider work temporary, .

differences due to sex,

No reply .

Insufficient training,

Both reasons above stated, .

Totals, .

It will be noted that six gave no reason for the opinion
expressed in the previous table. There are 15 replies which

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc,

indicate that the work of women is less valuable on account of
physical or mental differences due to sex. Four allege insuffi¬
cient training as the reason, while both these reasons are given
in three instances. In one instance it is stated that women
workers consider their work temporary, and, therefore, their
services are of less value than those rendered by men.

The employers were also asked to reply to the following
question : Where , in general , women receive less pay than men
for the same worh , what are , in your opinion , the reasons? The
replies are tabulated in the following statement :

Table XV. — Where, in General, Women Receive Less Pay than Men for
the Same Grade of Work, what are , in your Opinion , the Reasons ?

Classification of Replies.

Number

Classification of Replies.

Number

Effect of supply and demand or
competition, . . . .

Custom, . . .

Totals, .

Physical and mental differences, or

difference in general ability,

The table shows that 67 replies were received to the question.
Of these, 29 indicate that the fact of supply and demand, or
competition, is one reason for the difference in compensation,
vffiile 21, or a number nearly as large, consider physical and
mental differences or difference in general ability to be the
real reason. In 17 replies, no other reason than custom is
offered.

Having completed the statistical presentation of such parts
of the replies as can be reduced to tabular form, we now give
in condensed text the opinions, or statements in evidence,
received from employes and employers respectively.

Opinions of Employes.

Men oftener than women have to support others. In spite of this I can¬
not see why a man should be paid $200 more than I am paid to do the same
work when he does it no better, and that is what was proposed to me at one
time, with the distinct statement on the part of the principal and trustees
that my work was “ perfectly satisfactory in every way ” A married man
solely because he is married has sometimes been paid more than one un¬
married.

I think a business woman of education and ability receives as much salary
as a man wherever she renders her employer a proportionate amount of

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 29

work. I have heard many employers express a preference for women
because of their accuracy, promptness, general reliability, and honesty.
Women workers are timid, and when a reduction of wages comes they say,

“ Half a loaf is better than none,” and accept it, while a man would be braver
and say, “ I won’t take a cut,” and is therefore retained without reduction.

I believe that when women obtain the right of suffrage there will be more
equality in wages between the sexes. Women while quick of perception
in most things are very slow to grasp the power which the possession of
the ballot gives to men and to understand how much better their own con¬
dition would be had they the right to vote.

Besides this, only a small percentage of women have any ambition to con¬
duct business for themselves. The lack of this desire soon makes machines
and drudges of many clever persons.

One reason for the low salaries paid in private schools is that there are
plenty of young women who will teach merely to obtain pocket money.

My experience has been peculiar. My first position after graduation
from college was a principalship under a Mission Board. They offered me
more money than several Northern secular employers ; that is, than any
one else at the time. The second position was in a Normal School, where
I received the least. The third was at a College, which has no endowed
positions save the Presidency. I succeeded one whose replies accompany
this. My brother, who stood very much lower in college (the same col¬
lege) than I, but who had two years of graduate study, received $1,000
without any experience, $1,400 the second year.

My experience during the past two years is in line with the inquiries of
this paper, I think. For two years I have been trying with all the vigor
that I possess to get a position in the Philosophical Department of a co-edu-
cational College or University. Either directly or indirectly, about one
dozen institutions have been canvassed and the answers received have
been disheartening. No encouragement from any; excuses of various
kinds, or no answers at all.

Until within the last decade few educated women worked for wages,
unless suddenly and without preparation thrown upon their own resources.
The consequence has been that they have attempted to do work for which
they were entirely unfitted, and so placed themselves as a sex below men,
who were doing the same work. Here I except teachers — but refer to
various other employments, mainly clerical. Where women have entered
the same fields with men, after the same training and preparation, I think
they do equally well.

The great drawback to the business career of a woman is that she has
been taught to look at domestic and social life as her goal, and not to pro¬
ductive labor; hence she is unskilled, and often ignorant in the use of
those faculties abnormally prominent in the successful business man.

When I came here, for less salary than I had been receiving, it was dis¬
tinctly understood that if I did good work I should receive the full salary.

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

The second year I was given $1,500, not long after $1,800, and after much
protest on my part (for my work has been for the whole eleven years heavier
— much heavier — than that of any other department except Chemistry),
the salary was made $2,000 ; and I am distinctly given to understand that
being a ivoman I need not hope for any more.

In many cases women can afford to work for less than men. It cannot
be denied that I can live comfortably on $1,000 where a man with a family
of four or five children could not. It does not seem to me entirely a ques¬
tion of supply and demand, although it is largely so. The real value of
woman’s work is slowly turning the tide. Meanwhile as long as she will
work for less she not only may but must, for few women are in a position to
refuse to do it.

For two years after leaving college I was a bookkeeper. Since that
time I have been teaching.

The business position would have proved more profitable financially than
teaching could, nevertheless I desired some experience in teaching. Being
a woman without dependents, I could afford what it cost to change my
occupation. Of course, some women may go into business with the intention
of making it a life-work, in which case there is no reason for their not hav¬
ing the same return that men would have ; but I believe that the employer
is right in considering that a woman is likely to give up business for home
duties or for other work if only for the sake of variety. I do not hesitate to
say that women have no right to lower wages by working under price, but
I should dislike to take from them the privilege of changing occupation ;
and I suppose it would be of no use to legislate about the other reason for
leaving business positions.

It is nearly impossible to reply definitely as to my line of work, as educa¬
tion has nothing to do with a (music) teacher’s success outside of populous
centres. The more a teacher knows the less popular she is as a rule, as
she will not or cannot cater to the ignorance of the majority. The teacher
who charges about $15 per quarter — one lesson a week, twenty lessons —
is generally the most successful as regards the number of pupils. The
more one charges the less persons there are who will pay the extra price,
as any teacher will suffice who will give light pieces and not require too
much drudgery.

I am not sure that women have the physical strength fully to compete
with men in all the occupations that have been opened to them. However,
when they accept lower wages, it should be clearly understood that they
are to render less service.

It has never been necessary for me to work for my own support, but I
have done so from love for my art and also because I have always strongly
felt that every girl should be trained to care for herself. I have the same
feeling of independence common to young men.

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GKADUATES. 31

Statistics will doubtless prove that women, equally with men, are obliged
to provide for the financial support of others. Investigation also shows
that woman has not only entered, but successfully occupied every business
field. In every sphere of life where woman performs, with equal ability
and success, the same duties as man, she certainly deserves the same com¬
pensation and equal recognition.

I know that my work here is appreciated and is paid for because of its
worth. I think many women are helping to keep down the rate of women’s
wages by consenting to work for less compensation than would be given
to a man for the same grade, and often, especially in typewriting, a higher
grade of work. Women generally are neater typewritists than men.

This school could not afford to employ a man for the Art Department.
It is a poor institution and must make something out of the department if
it supports it at all, and it has not reached the point where it considers
drawing a necessary branch of study, as it does music. There are many
women who would be glad to get the situation for 1800.

In regard to teaching, which I am anxious to see elevated from a make¬
shift into a profession, while recognizing the fact that there are some men
who intend to teach for a few years only, I think it perfectly right to
distinguish in salary between the man who makes it his business and the
woman who intends to marry at the first favorable opportunity. She may
marry, but meantime let her prepare herself for her profession as if she
never intended to do so.

My work in teaching is almost wholly a matter of preference, as my
husband is both willing and able to care for his family without my assist¬
ance.

There are not enough women, qualified to compete with men in the
higher lines of teaching and supervision, to command the same confidence
in them as a class.

In the city where I am employed the girls and boys of the High School
study and work in separate departments, which have been in charge of dif¬
ferent principals. The woman in charge of the girls’ department has
always been paid from five to seven hundred dollars less than the other
principal, although her pupils were more than three times as numerous
as those of the other department, and her management marvellously suc¬
cessful. In consequence of the great decrease in numbers in the Boys’
English High School, the departments are to be amalgamated, I under¬
stand, and it has been proposed to retain men and women, to teach both
boys and girls. No mention of any change in salaries has been made,
except the adding of $500 to the income of the male principal, although
the maximum salary for my position is $1,200, while the salary for the
corresponding position in the other department is fixed at $1,900. The
men, however, are doing precisely what I should endeavor to do ; they are
rendering their best services for that which the city is pleased to bestow.

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

School teaching is in my opinion about the most remunerative employ¬
ment for women in general. For myself, it was a mistake to have
entered the profession as I have no aptitude for it. At the beginning,
however, it offered the best salary. After seven years of work in some
more congenial employment I should undoubtedly be receiving much more
than I am paid to-day. I would give it up to-day were it possible to under¬
take other employment at the same salary, for circumstances are such that
I cannot afford to take less.

A woman’s work is often inferior to man’s in the same grade, because she
is apt to take up work as a temporary necessity. She, therefore, does not
feel that desire to learn her profession thoroughly that a man feels, who
makes his profession his life-work. This condition of things, however,
is passing away. Again, as some one has remarked, women are so accus¬
tomed to doing things only “ about right,” that they lack the exactness
required in paid service. College education should remedy this deficiency,
and it does remedy it.

A woman employed in a private school invariably has many more
demands on her time and strength than a man who would undertake the
same grade and amount of teaching, yet even under these circumstances a
man will receive higher pay.

It is my opinion that among American painters, in fact, among the best
teachers of music and fine arts generally, where women do as good work
as men they receive the same pay. The fact that they are women is rather
an advantage than a disadvantage.

Women, as a class, have not as much confidence in themselves as men.
In my opinion if women would give sufficient time to necessary preparation,
in their chosen line of work, fully to equip themselves for that work and, at
the same time, cultivate confidence in themselves, their ability, and their
profession, they would, like men, be able to meet the question of wages
with the words : — “I ask no more than I am worth but I believe myself
to be worth all that I ask. Kindly give me a trial.” An employer would
admire this spirit sufficiently to permit the test, which in nine cases out of
ten would prove the words true.

Therefore, I would say, let there be on the part of women thorough prep¬
aration, steadfast purpose, unflinching confidence, determination to become
of such value to their employers as to merit remuneration equal to that
accorded any other person of like ability.

My position is an anomalous one. I do a great deal of responsible work
for the President of a University. I keep the entire accounts of the Uni¬
versity, as far as they pertain to receipts and expenditures, and next year
shall also keep the Treasurer’s books. I am also the President’s delegate
in relation to all that concerns the interests and life of our women students.
I don’t regard my pay as holding any proper proportion to either the char¬
acter or amount of work I do.

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GKADUATES. 33

While I know that women who do the same work as well as (often better
than) men should receive an equal remuneration, and while I am a business
woman myself from necessity, as so many others are, the idea of women
entering business and politics is, to me, distasteful. Women have their
own sphere of action. Their work is equally important with that of
men, but it is different in kind. I wish it were possible for all women to
develop their talents in the line peculiar to their sex, for I fear that so
far from ennobling the business and political world the result will be disas¬
trous to the female sex itself; for when women have learned to compete
successfully with men in business it must be through meeting men on their
(the men’s) own ground or on their own terms. Hence women in business
will have to learn very many things which it were better even for the men
to let alone. This does not apply to every business concern — many deal
honorably with all — but it does apply, I think, to the majority. If women
are better than men let us keep them so.

Another reason for women receiving less than men is that there are pro¬
portionately more women competing for the positions open to them than
among men, and there being fewer positions open, the supply is in excess
of the demand. Women should unite, the competent ones, and say they
will not work for less than a certain sum. Then the matter would be in
part remedied.

Women are fearful of asserting their inherent rights, standing, as they
now do, just on the verge of freedom. The time, however, is not far off
when women will have a voice in making just laws for themselves and
others, and this will no doubt have an effect in securing equal remuneration
for equal services to both sexes.

My position being so much different from the others in the same business
I cannot make any comparison, or say much in general. The women
clerk’s wages range from $3 to $5 per week, the latter for experienced
hands, while the men’s wages are from $10 to $15 and $20. Of course, some
of the young boys receive from $5 to $7. In every instance, they would
give a man double the wages that would be paid to a woman of the same ex¬
perience. There are a few exceptions, where women in the establishment
receive as much or more than some of the men with families to support.
The majority of the young girls live at home, and this is one of the reasons
for accepting low wages.

I fear I am not a fair representative of office working-women, at. least
my sympathies are not all with them. I do not think they are, as a
class, as good workers as men, and if I had an office under my charge,
I would put in almost all men clerks even at higher salaries, for I verily
believe that I could get more and better work from them, with less com¬
plaints, than from women. In the first place they are stronger physically,
do not look for the same favors and attentions that women expect, and they
are willing to work until their work is completed, even though it be until
12 o’clock at night, or on Sundays in case of necessity, and their feelings
are not easily hurt.

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

As to the question of men receiving higher pay for their services, in my
opinion typewriting is peculiarly woman’s work ; she can do the work more
neatly and takes pains to make her work look well I do not see why she
should not receive as much as men.

Women would, in my opinion, give better satisfaction as employes il
they attended more strictly to all details of their business than many
now do.

Women are more conscientious, more prompt, and feel that their employ¬
ers’ interests are theirs.

Great harm is done woman by woman, for it is most imperfect evidence
of business quality, success, or tenacity to exhibit petty strife, carry person¬
alities into business, or to blend the social distinctions and caste with the
affairs of the work-a-day world.

I deplore the narrow-mindedness, gossip, slander, jealousies, the caste
spirit. Fellowship, charity, and humanity are needed in place of the spirit
of caste.

Men as a rule want women to work for them and not with them ; hence
at present few women do anything except the “ dead work .” Few women
have ambition enough, or are well trained enough, to overcome the odds
against their sex ; but matters are improving ; and the younger men I
think are more ready than their elders to give women a chance to live up
to the highest that is in them. Many women exhaust their energies doing
outside work, — that is, assuming domestic responsibility. As far as my
observation goes college women do just as good work as men.

It is impossible to estimate our salaries (actresses) quite like the salaries
of other workers. If a manager wants a particular person for a particular
part he will pay almost any salary to get him ; another year, having no
particular need of any special actor or actress salaries will drop. Often a
manager will pay some woman in his company a larger salary than any
man, but this is the exception, not the rule. In a company whose lead¬
ing woman draws $50 a week the leading man will be paid $70 or $75 a
week. A leading woman of established reputation rarely receives more
than $75 a week while a man of the same reputation can always command
$100 and from that up to several hundred dollars a week. The woman’s
greater expense in dressing makes this difference even more.

I have spoken only of people playing what we call leading business.
Heavy-men, comedians, utility, etc., draw salaries about the same as the
women playing equally important parts. The difference is not more than
five or ten dollars a week in favor of the man ; I have just joined the com¬
pany I am playing with at present. I know nothing of the salaries paid ;
therefore, I can only answer these questions in a general way, and from my
experience in other companies.

The difference in wages paid uneducated women as compared with men
has often considerable justification in the lack of training on the part of the

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 35

women in school and in business life, and in the desire manifested by-
women to leave industrial employments for marriage. The small number
of occupations open a few years ago, and the still smaller number considered
refined made tremendous competition for all those positions which could
be filled by a woman having little special training In all domestic occu¬
pations the price was greatly reduced by the fact that many employers
would not pay more than they considered the value of their own time
(which a woman employer counted as very little) and also because large
numbers of women worked only for pin-money. Now, tradition and prej¬
udice have become so firmly established that change is slow although it is
sure. Many occupations have been monopolized by women because they
underbid the men, and did the work nearly or quite as well. The numer¬
ous sisters, cousins, and aunts who formerly depended on the men of their
families, but who now are self-supporting, have, on the other hand, relieved
men of a considerable burden, and are increasing the wealth of the coun¬
try, instead of being in the position of paupers, or, like a standing army
in time of peace, unproductive members of society. My own experience
is, that in teaching I was always discriminated against ; but in my other
three occupations I received the same pay as a man, as a matter of course,
because my employers were liberal-minded and reasonable.

I cannot see why women should not do just as good work as men, if strong
enough. In fact in teaching I was always willing to compete with men in
the same grade of instruction and in that work I know women do just as
good work as men.

From observation I fully believe that all of the young women that I
know who are in earnest in their work, and are capable of letting their
employer know that they can and will do their work, receive as much
salary as men. I have in mind a woman who is employed at stenographic
work, to some extent, and who is a very poor stenographer but who has
made herself so valuable to her employer in other lines that he pays her
$100 per month for her general business usefulness, and the care she is ca¬
pable of taking of his affairs. I think this is an example such as can be
successfully followed by any woman who has an abundance of good health,
the requisite energy, and a fair education. Summed up it is — do your work
well, be energetic, not afraid of doing too much, and give your employer to
understand that you are valuable, and must be paid well for your services.

I think that whenever a woman does the same kind and amount of work
as man does she is entitled to the same pay, but there are times when the
assistance of a man would be more desirable than that of a woman. In
that case, man’s services would be worth more than woman’s and he should
be paid more, and women should not be encouraged to fill such positions,
and ought not to insist upon holding them. No true woman wishes to
place herself in a position where her womanhood could be called into
question, nor to which she is not adapted ; such positions we should will¬
ingly concede to men, but we want it thoroughly understood that, so far as
the "grey matter of the brain is concerned, women can competently and

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

creditably fill any position. She does not lack mental capacity but muscular
power. When she recognizes that with her weaker physical powers she
cannot equal the work of a man she should ask for lighter burdens and
graciously acquiesce in receiving smaller remuneration; and, where she
recognizes that the position offered her is such that it would be embarrass¬
ing to her in a moral way, or in which her womanhood could be called
into question, although there may be the enticing feature about it that she
will receive the same amount per diem as a man, she should yield it up
to a man, and be content to receive a smaller remuneration ; but with
these very few exceptions woman’s services in business are equally as val¬
uable and desirable as those of man, and when she has performed the same
amount of work and performed it equally well, when her fingers have been
as nimble, her brain as active, and the amount of nerve-force expended as
great as that of her fellow-worker, why should she not receive the same
remuneration? She should. And again, wdiere neatness, accuracy, pains¬
taking, and minuteness are required, woman is often pre-eminently success¬
ful, and her services often w'orth more than that of man.

The mistake women make as wage earners is in doing that which they can
find to do, instead of educating themselves to the vocation for which they
are best adapted. It requires a large stock of courage to build up a pro¬
fession — everywhere some sharp comer will strike you, the human race
seems to be filled with prejudice towards the wage woman — true inde¬
pendence, however, will heal wounded pride.

When you have settled upon your work, do not play with it, treat it
seriously, have a definite purpose, not a mere possibility of something to
work at that may supply an immediate demand, or gratify some fashionable
fad. Make your work a noble calling by doing it well, believe in it — make
your work a business, not a matter of convenience.

I have observed in late years that when a woman entered an examination
and was in every way fitted and earnest in her pursuit of scientific studies,
and could compete with men she was fairly dealt with. There are some
women in the Government service who receive higher pay than men for
performing inferior work. This is, I fear, the result of influence and favor¬
itism. I think that when women are in every way fitted equally with men
they will be equally recognized. Their period of higher education has just
begun, that of man has long continued.

While I was employed at $7.50 per week I believe $10 to $12 would
have been paid a man for doing my work ; when I reached SI 2 per week
(which was in a business office where I worked four years and four months)
a man would have received about $20 per week. I have been in the
Government service three years and five months. My experience was that
a woman had no right to expect good salaries, simply because she was a
woman ; the theory was kept constantly before the women in the office in
which I have been employed until recently, that the only place for a woman
was in doing domestic work. I am happy t.o say this state of affairs does
not exist where I work at present.

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 37

Although it is a fact that men do receive higher wages than women for
the same work, still I think woman’s place in the business world is be¬
ginning to be more and more appreciated, and that with a little effort on
her part, she will soon be able to command the same salary as a man for
identical service.

I think that my experience will be of little value, in your inquiry, for
my work has been varied, and, in many instances, I have refused a higher
salary, preferring congenial and less monotonous work, even at a lower
salary. I preferred to build a home and keep it by trying varied employ¬
ments, rather than to bind myself down to one steady position, even though
lucrative.

The first year I worked I earned only $128. The second year I earned
over $300, and last year over $500. When I was doing office work I
received $6 a week and I kept the books and was a typewriter too. If a
man had been employed for the work his pay would have been $15 a week
and he would not have been required to perform the general office work.
He would have been a professional bookkeeper, however, which I was not.

In literary work I prefer manuscript reading (which includes criti¬
cism) rather than attempting original work, because it is sure, and the pay
is the same for men and women. One firm for which I read will not em¬
ploy me on the regular force because of my sex. It is contrary to its
policy. Another publisher, on the contrary, prefers women — but is con¬
servative, and bids me wait.

I do not believe employers in general mean to impose on women because
they are women. When a woman enters the field she becomes a competitor,
and they take advantage of the market.

My observations are confined to stenographers and general clerical work.
In the majority of cases women are paid less than men for what seems to be
the same work, but men in the same positions are worth more to their em¬
ployers for the reason that any employer is free to call upon a man for any
extra work (outside the bounds of his official position) which he would
never do in case the employ6 were a woman. The difference is not a mental
but a physical one. His “desk work” may be worth no more but his
“ time ” is, as it can be utilized in a hundred different ways. For instance, in
a railroad position such as mine, a man could be called upon at few hours’
notice to take a long trip, possibly traveling on freight trains, would go to
the bank in the worst of weather, etc., but what employer would call on a
woman to do these things ?

And there is the subject of working over hours. You can ask a man to
work till late at night if necessary, but a woman’s reputation would be
attacked if she were seen going in and out of business houses at night. An
employer knows this, and for that reason she is seldom asked to do so. But
it all counts in the salary, and, I repeat, it is a physical disadvantage which
I see no way of overcoming.

Women in general are not so ambitious for business success as to work
hard for it. Their value as clerks and their remuneration are generally in

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

proportion to the effort they put into the work, and this is more true with
each year that passes But their instincts are not toward business, they
are not in general very happy in it, and consequently it is accepted with
more or less of a protest and carried on without enthusiasm. They are
conscientious and careful in details, and their business training generally
has a beneficial effect in developing self-restraint and a habit of accuracy.

I think teachers are well paid. In other classes of work wmmen should
be paid as well as men for the same grade of work. I do not believe they
are physically capable of filling the same positions, but they are more
faithful and conscientious, and this counterbalances what they may lack in
physical capacity.

Amongst the physicians of my acquaintance male nurses are not liked
at all, for any kind of nursing. They may be needed at times for their
strength ; although in such cases a woman’s will is frequently far superior
to mere physical force.

In this occupation (railroad telegraphy) women receive the same com¬
pensation as men for the same grade of work.

When women of ability settle down to a life-work and that fact is recog¬
nized, wages are more nearly equalized. Women usually try to work near
their own homes, and employers take advantage of this fact to hold their
wages down to the minimum.

I think women are overcoming ill-health and lack of endurance. They
are cultivating business habits and understanding ; they are modifying
their dress, and in many ways are qualifying themselves to rank as the
peers of the other sex. When an individual woman can become as neces¬
sary as a man to an employer she usually receives the same salary. The
prospect seems encouraging.

Aside from the fact that custom places a lower estimate of value on the
work of a woman, I see no reason why a thoroughly capable and earnest
woman should not receive what she is worth ; and I think that this custom
must be changed by demonstration through women themselves that their
work is equally as valuable as that of men. It is also very necessary
that women should make a point of demanding what they have reason to
consider themselves worth. Every increase of salary, except the first, that
I have had has come through a demand for it. Doubtless had my assurance
equalled my conviction, I might now be earning much more, as I consider
my services, as compared with those of others (men) employed with me,
as underpaid. Women need firmness and push, without undue pugnacity,
to secure what they are worth.

It must be said, however, that the majority of employed women belittle
the position of women in the working ranks by their lack of earnestness
and business conscience. I do not know whether this fact can be greatly
altered, as it is doubtless the first destiny of women to marry, and their

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 39

thoughts will probably have a stronger bent in this direction than in that
of becoming highly proficient in the different branches of work which they
undertake.

A woman who is in earnest, who is capable, and who has an enthusiasm
for her occupation, has, I think, as many doors open to her as a man. If
she is underpaid it is largely her own fault, and I believe that the condition
of inequality in wages is disappearing, and will finally wholly disappear.

Women do not put the ardor into their work that men, knowing that
their work is for life, exhibit. Again, women as a rule feel that they have
no hope of advancement, and must remain as employes, when a man may
hope for larger results, even if he never obtains them.

This is truer, of course, of the mechanical and active employments than
of the professions, where conditions are more nearly equal.

Journalism pays women as well as it pays men providing they are
equally capable. On newspaper staffs women are less valuable than men
save in exceptional cases. The woman reporter’s salary compares favor¬
ably with that of a man reporter. For special work, if she is clever, she can
earn as much as any man for work of the same grade.

Still, women’s avenues of ability, so to speak, are narrower than men’s.
A man journalist is supposed to know everything from sporting terms to
the ethics of government. The average woman journalist doesn’t, as yet.

In many cases, women undoubtedly do as good work as men and often
better, at a less salary ; but the fact can never be overlooked that perma¬
nency in a position is of great value to an employer. If time and labor have
been spent in acquiring efficiency, the expenditure is more than repaid in the
case of a man, for he continues to use the efficiency gained. In a woman’s
case it most frequently occurs that she gives up her occupation just as she
has become most efficient.

The wide differences now existing between the wages of men and women
are surely unjust, but these differences seem to be growing less as women
have gradually proven their ability, and men and women are now paid in
the higher pursuits more equally than ever before for services rendered.

Economic conditions right themselves if given time, in a natural way,
but it is not probable that men and women will ever stand as equals in the
business world, for a woman in most instances cannot count on life-work.
She is woman, subject to the duties which fall to a woman, and she cannot
if she would, be anything else without toppling the very structure of society.

This condition of instability of employment will, in my estimation, always
exist ; and students of economics who are endeavoring to explain it away,
or who are prophesying a different state of affairs will and should find
themselves mistaken. The frank acceptance of this fact will clear the way
to a much more profitable discussion of the subject.

My personal experience has brought me into contact with very few
highly educated women who are competing with men. Very many unedu-

STATISTICS OF LABOR. [Pub. Doc.

cated women are competing with them, and these women are paid more in
proportion to the quality of their work than are the men, who are more
generally college men.

I think that women who begin to work at the same age as myself are not
as well fitted for the work with which I am familiar as a man who is just
out of college ; but I think the woman who goes to her work equipped with
a college education, which implies a mind trained for clear, steady appli¬
cation, is entirely equal to the man who starts with the same advantages,
and often outranks him in the conscientious performance of her duty.

My observation leads me to conclude that women as a rule are to blame
for low wages, and for several reasons. When -fromen enter the business
world, they carry with them false notions of what is due them. Everything
beyond courteous justice is a privilege accorded them, but many demand
these privileges as rights. This destroys their desirability as employes.
When they lay aside the fol-de-rol of being “ ladies ” and are business women
the way will be clear for an advance in their wages.

Further, when women are educated up to the point of caring for each
other and each other’s interests then will a better state arrive, and not before.
Girls working, who are not obliged to do so for support, but in order to
decorate themselves beyond their need and station, copying those who have
dollars to their dimes, accept an unjust compensation, and also occupy the
place which another should have. I repeat, as a rule, women are to blame
for women’s low wages.

The same work exactly, which I am engaged in, is done by men in the
New York Department at double the pay.

I find where women are employed and men are at the head, favoritism
plays a very decided part in the matter of salaries.

One reason for the inequality in women’s wages, as compared with those
paid men, is that women are patient in their willingness to earn something,
be it ever so little. They earn it. They are not situated in life to apply
the nerve required to demand what should be theirs justly. It is simply
“ I will take what I can get ! ” One instance with which I am acquainted
is the following : A man and a woman were teachers in the same school,
each occupying positions of high grade. The Division over which the
man presided was entirely out of order, and he could not bring it into
order for want of the peculiar capacity required. It was decided and
agreed to by both, that the man should take the woman’s Division, which
was in perfect order, and that the woman with patient willingness should
take the disorderly Division of the man and put it into order, which she
did. The wages were not reversed, the man still keeping the higher
salary. He was willing to take pay for what he could not do, and she
was willing to do without pay that which he could not do.

When Mr. - was offered a position at a certain salary, he declined the

offer and set his own terms, which after an interval of time were complied

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 41

with, just as he demanded. Now, all of his friends say, “ A very fine thing.

Mr. - got just what he demanded. His own price!” What would a

woman have done ? Taken, and been glad to take, just what they had a
mind to give her. She would lack nerve.

I have fulfilled all the duties of a citizen, just as man does (with the ex¬
ception of voting) , reared three fatherless children from tender years, kept
them in school until they were twenty-one, partially supported an invalid
sister, assisted the young boys of her family, and I am a woman, living
on wages much less than those of men.

Opinions of Employers.

I very much wish there were more women fully equipped for the work
of higher education. There is no true co-education unless students are
co-educated.

Wherever women can be used in clerical labor, I much prefer their ser¬
vices. They are neater, quicker, more industrious, more loyal, more trust¬
worthy than men. These qualities render them more valuable. The best
man on the executive staff here is a woman ! By far the best librarian we
have ever had is a woman.

So far as cataloguing (library work) is concerned the work is done by
women equally as well, if not better, than by men. When this fact is
brought to the attention of the Literary Board they refuse to equalize sala¬
ries, “ because,” they say, “it is not customary>to pay women equally with
men ; the man has a family to support ; the woman has nobody but herself.
Besides, the woman takes the employment merely as a temporary conven¬
ience until some man comes along to marry her. She has not the physical
endurance of the man, and while she may do her work equally well, she
has not the physical capacity to accomplish so much within a given time,
especially if there be great pressure.”

These are not my views, but are the reasons offered by members of my
Board when urged to pay for the work, regardless of the sex of the person
who does it.

I believe that where the class of work is such that it may be done by a
woman equally as well in all respects as by a man, she should be equally
well paid for doing it.

We do not think it is to the advantage of the majority of women to take
the place of men as it tends to lower the wages of men, except in woman's
particular lines of business, such as typewriting, dry goods, fancy work,
etc.

We have two reporters with us now who are “ learning the business ; ”
this consequently brings the average down both for men and women, but
in the latter case the reduction in salary shows appreciably in bringing
down the average, being divided by two instead of ten. I would pay a girl
the same wages for doing the same work as a man. Why not ?

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

An average compositor, male or female, earns about $20 or $25 a
week, providing he or she does not “ lay off’' too much, is a fairly good and
rapid workman, and is paid the scale of the Typographical Union.

Some women are better than some men. I have spoken simply of the
facts as they are here. There are very few women in the Faculty; and
the statistics here are of no great value. The highest salary paid a woman
is as high as that received by some of the men who are professors, but not
as high as that paid to nine men. The character of the work and the amount
of work and of responsibility vary so much that I do not think these figures
are of the slightest value in settling the main question.

I think the same work should, in justice, receive the same pay. The
broader education of women will help towards this end.

Anything that will make social life simpler will facilitate earlier mar¬
riages. Young men would marry earlier if society did not require so
much to make a home. This would make fewer young women who must
work at low rates. The fact is, there are so many unmarried women who
seek work that the supply of workers makes the price low.

I don’t know that this opinion amounts to much ; but it seems to me that
our notion of a home involves too much money to promote early marriages.

There are very few women that are as competent as the best men in
telegraphy. When they do attain that standard they usually receive as
much pay as men doing the same work. Women are unfitted to become
chief operators, having the government of men and care of wires. They,
therefore, do not rise above positions as operators, or managers of small
offices. Chief operators, wire chiefs, assistant chiefs, etc., in large offices
receive considerably more than operators working at desks. The average
pay of a chief operator is about $100 per month.

Women workers generally require a greater amount of supervision and
are less capable of accomplishing independently the work assigned them,
although those women who have received a thorough academic or collegiate
training, or who have received a thorough office training in early youth,
are usually far less open to this objection, while women who take up cler¬
ical work in late youth or at middle age, coming directly from domestic
life, render usually the least valuable services.

As office laborers, whose work is principally mounting herbarium speci¬
mens, women have been rather more efficient than the boys who have been
employed for the same purpose.

The firm is composed of two women and one man. The work is done by
both men and women but not the same kind of work by both. The
women are not strong enough to paint walls, work with tools, etc. If they
tried it the- men would always command more pay, because they are strong
enough to accomplish more work.

We have no women who can justly be called first class operators, who
can accurately transmit forty or fifty messages in an hour during the whole

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 43

day, or who could receive them if they were sent. The nervous strain
required to do this is very great, and this may account for the scarcity of
first class operators amongst the women. Is not the inherited tendency
amongst the monogamous races, for women to look forward to an early
marriage and a consequent withdrawal from the struggle for existence, a
retarding factor in their competition with men ? The data for this inference
are the facts that for the first few months young girls generally make rapid
progress, and having attained a sufficient degree of expertness to enable
them to earn enough barely to live on, they seem to stop further effort
towards improvement. That this cessation of effort is ascribable to the
hope of a marriage in the near future making such effort useless, seems to
be justified by the fact that this is what happens in the majority of cases.

Women should unite, and resolve not to under-cut each other or their fel¬
low craftsmen of the printing offices and other industrial places where their
cheaper labor is appreciated by their employers. Intelligent work and
faithful service should be paid for, and it is robbery for the employer to
discount the pay because the worker wears petticoats.

In general, I think woman is rapidly taking a prominent place in the
business world, and in the near future will compete with men for the same
work at the same wages in many pursuits.

Heredity has much to do with the wage question. Men for many gener¬
ations have been trade workers. They are thereby fitted for trade employ¬
ment by heredity. Women are newer comers than men. They have
quicker intuitions and often excel men in the fineness of the grades of their
work. They will probably lack, for several generations at least, the breadth
of mind which will enable them to manage successfully large and compli¬
cated industries.

So far as relates to an architect’s assistants, above the grade of routine
draughtsmen and copyists, the most valuable are those who can in some
lines take responsibility and act for the principal. This, in general, means
intimate acquaintance with building construction and methods. There
is a line of special or artistic development which is open to women, but I
am not sure that this has been embraced, for the training necessary would
give a greater opening in other lines.

There are some women architects in position, but I think they have
generally received school training mainly. They are not in general in
architects’ offices as assistants.

The preparation for work, the probable tenure of office, the support of
the family, the demands upon time and money, due to public life, are all
elements in the salary question.

We would not be judged as considering that women are less competent
than men, for in all lines there are some women superior to the majority
of men; but we think that women have a somewhat different line of use¬
fulness, and in their own particular line we believe at present they are

STATISTICS OF LABOR.

[Pub. Doc.

receiving relatively more pay than they obtain when they enter other
fields. To use a rather rude illustration, the average cook is no more
intelligent than the average coal-heaver, but she receives, considering her
food, lodging, and privileges, very much more pay.

Without knowing the purpose of your investigation or the purpose of
your Association (the Collegiate Alumna), we may express the hope that
its chief object is to improve women in what we consider to be their most
fitting and noble occupations. Whatever improves a woman in home or
domestic relations, or best fits her to assume the charge of a house or
family, we think is best for her and best for the community.

To speak of the occupation which the majority of women who seek em¬
ployment shun for the sake of a chance to work in a shop or factory, we
may say that we would be willing to pay our servants more, and most of
us would have more servants, if we could rely upon the cook taking pains
or pride in her ordinary work as her mistress does in a fancy dessert ; or
if we could obtain second girls who had some prejudices against nicked
china, or nursery girls who know how to sew on buttons or read intelli¬
gently to children. There is a tremendous demand for servants, particu¬
larly in the country, and if your society is not doing much in this line we
would commend to its consideration the advantages of aiding to supply
this want.

To speak of the college graduates, although they are so small a fraction
of the working women that we can hardly think your society has them
chiefly in mind, we have faith that most of them will obtain such occupation
and compensation as their most ardent friends consider they deserve. For
the common practice of law and medicine we do not believe they are so
well fitted as men, but there are certain lines in both professions for which
they are admirably well fitted, as well as for certain branches in architect¬
ure, decorating, etc. There is also a very great opportunity for women in
various departments of scientific research, and the experience of France,
in particular, has shown that women may have a share in the guidance of
very large commercial enterprises.

We appreciate that it is in keeping with the present tendencies of living
that women should stand on the same plane as men and take an active part
in office, factory, and mill work ; but certainly we personally regret this
very much, and think that the majority of women are better physically, and
have less temptations morally, when not forced to strive on the same footing
with men in what we are sufficiently old fashioned to consider particularly
men’s work.

Women are certainly as well qualified for clerical work as men, and in
general (at least as assistant accountants, etc.) are more reliable.

There are many occupations where it would seem that women could do as
much work as men, but where they do not. In such cases lack of training,
and possibly the feeling that they will not need to work at such occupations
all their life, probably account for the difference.

In our line of work it is difficult to make an accurate comparison be¬
tween the work of men and women, as in most cases each is employed
for a special work which the other could not do.

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 45

In our opinion, the physical condition of woman, the lack of strong men¬
tal training running through many years and even generations, the lack of
experience in touch with the business and political affairs of the country,
facts which so materially develop the ability of men, are factors which do
modify now, and always must so long as they exist, the quality and quantity
of woman’s work.

Women are particularly useful by reason of their honesty and faithfulness.

In an experience of eight to ten' years in the manufacture of clothing I
find that few women are well enough educated to do as well as they other¬
wise might. I have always made a fine class of garments, and I find it
very difficult to get women to think, and as a consequence they make mis¬
takes, and have to do over again that which a little brain work would have
saved, and they therefore lose time in which they might have earned more
money.

Then they waste a great deal of time in talk, which of course costs them
money, for frequently their inattention causes them to make mistakes.

Lack of personal cleanliness and slovenly surroundings in their homes
and want of conveniences which persons with more means enjoy have a
tendency to lower the standard of work and consequently of the pay of girls
employed in some shops. It is my purpose to have some baths for the use
of my employes, to see if they will make a difference in the workers and
the work.

But few of my employes save any money ; some because they have others
dependent upon them, and others because they have no disposition to do
so. I have talked to very many upon the importance of saving, but very
few have acted upon the advice.

It should be taken into consideration in looking at the large difference in
average wages between male and female employes, that the first named
are trained with a view of adopting business as a means of livelihood.
They go into business earlier, they begin at the very foundation, gradually
working up to higher positions.

A woman having spent years at school comes into business without
experience or training, and takes up her position as a saleswoman with no
knowledge of the business or of human nature. She does not hope to con¬
tinue in the profession she has adopted, has no particular ambition to excel
in business, consequently she does not render as valuable service as a man,
and her wages are therefore smaller.

Give men and women the same training and opportunity, and there
would still be a difference in the earning capacity in favor of the men.

For physical reasons, women seem to be incapable of producing an equal
volume of work ; therefore the proportional cost of finished production,
including “ fixed charges,” of work, etc., is greater than the cost of men’s
work. So in this business services are not really equal ; and the rate of
compensation must vary.

STATISTICS OF LABOR. [Pub. Doc.

Employers do not feel free to require extra service (involving extra hours
of labor) from women, although men are frequently detained late when
work presses.

Orchestras composed of women are so comparatively new in the field,
and the individual players as a rule so young, that they have sometimes
attempted to take engagements when they were not really competent. But
people are gradually realizing that there are young women competent to
do as good work in this line as are men, and we are receiving exactly the
same scale of prices. We find our best friends among the opposite sex, and
get the least of our business from the women’s clubs and organizations
who should be our firm supporters.

It has been a matter of principle with me to urge the entire equality of
the sexes in education, and entire freedom for women to enter all branches
of industry and all professions for which they are qualified, whether it be cook,
teacher, professor, physician, lawyer, clergyman, governor, or president.

We have answered the question with reference to compositors only. We
have women in our bindery but it is distinctly women’s work.

Women engage in the work for a temporary living, and naturally do not
become as proficient as men.

The price paid men for plain composition is 40 cents per 1,000 ems,
women 32 cents per 1,000 ems, but about all our piece work (plain compo¬
sition) is done by women ; the men, and a few women, working by the
week.

The law as to Government service requires the same test (competitive
examination) of women and men. Having borne the test, women should
have the same chance for appointment. Being listed separately, the ap¬
pointing power is free never to appoint women. Yet women are precisely
as well qualified for clerical work in post offices as men.

The main trouble lies with women in what might be called the middle
class Most of them have nice pleasant homes and either their fathers can¬
not afford to, or will not give them an allowance.

In accepting a position as bookkeeper, typewriter, and in many cases
filling places formerly occupied by men, doing as much work, a woman ac¬
cepts about half as much salary. The employer is glad to save the differ¬
ence. It looks somewhat like crowding the men and needy women out.
If women and men do precisely the same work in the same hours, the pay
should be precisely the same.

If you mean by “educated women” college bred women, we will say
that we have but one such woman in our employ. And we have but one
college bred man in our office employ. Our agents are nearly all college
bred men. A woman could not, or would not, do our agency work, as a
general thing. It involves traveling early and late, and the meeting of
all kinds of men, etc.

No. 15.] COMPENSATION OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. 47

Women could not do our packing, but they can and do wrap books to go
by mail and we pay them as much for it as we should pay boys or men for
doing the same work.

Our bookkeeper is an able woman in her department, and we pay her
what we understand our neighbors pay men for the same work.

In correspondence the girls are often too brief, uncompromising. They
are apt to say to a correspondent what he may deserve, but what it is not
best to say from either a Christian or business standpoint.

The women are more faithful and diligent than the men, and can be
trusted where the men cannot be, hence we prefer a woman bookkeeper,
and women in many other departments.

The salaries of the male clerks in this department (Government service)
are fixed by statute. All of the women are classed as “ extra clerks 11 and
the amount of their compensation within the gross sum allowed by legisla¬
tive enactment, is in the discretion of the Commissioner. This is neces¬
sarily controlled in a degree by similar salaries paid in other departments
of the service for similar work.

In the branch of our work where they are solely employed we should
prefer women rather than men, even at the same weekly compensation.

In the case of teachers of country schools or mixed schools (that is,
schools of both sexes), I think it very difficult to determine what equal
services are. A woman must have a greater amount of governing power
than a man to govern equally as well ; that is to say a man exerts a certain
influence, which might be called police influence, so that, other things
being equal, a man would secure the best government in schools.

But other things are so rarely equal that in point of fact women do gov¬
ern and manage schools on an average nearly if not quite as well as men.
I think, however, that the opinion is firmly held by the average school board
that a large building or school should be presided over by a man, and on
account of the influence suggested I think if a woman succeeds as well as a
man it will be because she possesses greater governing power than the
man with whom she is compared. This prejudice, however, is dying out
very rapidly, and we pay the principals of our grammar schools the same
salaries without regard to sex.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

033 261 304 2

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Books

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "Compensation in certain occupations of graduates of colleges for women."

See other formats